After saying those words to his mother, Simon followed Zaglur without saying any other thing or making any other sound.
Lyssa watched him leave with a complicated expression and pain in her heart.
Despite all that she had said, Simon was still her child. Everything she did before selling him out was done out of love.
The days of hunger, the days of working extra hard, and the nights she chose to get him the best food for his growth were done out of love.
She loved him, but she was tired of the life she was living.
This was an opportunity for her to live a much better life. This was an opportunity for her life to experience a drastic change.
No more days of constant thinking about what she would eat the following day.
No more nights where she shed tears as she slept on extremely hard beds with the harsh cold of the Wildlands striking her.
No longer was she going to keep on wearing tattered and old clothes.
This was her opportunity, and since she might die at any point in time, she would be a fool not to grab the opportunity.
"Forgive me, son. I also want to enjoy my life before I die," she muttered quietly before taking one last look at Simon.
She shifted her gaze to her Tribe, to her home that was now engulfed in flames, blood, and screams.
She could hear the familiar screams of demons she once knew, of demons she once laughed and joked with.
’Funny how a single demon with riches destroyed the Tribe without lifting a single finger. All he used was words.’
Lyssa looked at the pouch in her hand, then she placed it inside her clothes and walked to the gates of the Tribe.
She stepped out of the tribe and began a new journey of hers.
Meanwhile, in another location that was not too far away from the Duskfang Tribe, Simon and Zaglur walked in the Wildlands with calm, steady steps.
Simon had his head hung low as his mind was still on the fact that he had been betrayed by his mother.
Despite all he said back then, he was extremely hurt by his mother... No... by Lyssa’s betrayal.
He was not only hurt, he was also extremely confused.
How could a mother sell their child for some money?
Although he knew that such things occurred even on Earth, and he had seen such things, what Lyssa had done was extremely different.
If their condition was still as terrible as it was when the economic situation of their tribe became unsalvageable, he’d understand.
But their situation had become a lot better.
All the money he had successfully stolen made their lives a lot better and easier.
They could eat three times a day, and they even had the money to live lavishly for a while.
Because living like that would attract the attention of the entire tribe and questions would be asked, they obviously could not do such.
They were one of the richest in their tribe, and both of them were even planning on leaving the tribe for a clan or one of the six major tribes.
Their lives were getting better, and this made it even more baffling to Simon that his mother chose to betray him.
If their lives were still terrible, he would understand, but for her to make such a decision when they were progressing in life?
He just could not.
It was utter foolishness and a clear definition of short-sightedness.
He understood that twenty low grade Infernal Crystals were a lot of money.
It was enough for her to live comfortably in a minor clan, but was it enough to sell out your own child?
He had never heard of a human mother or father selling their child when the child was starting to bring money into the household and was making everybody’s lives better.
And that was when Simon understood.
Demons.
Demons were not like humans. The nature and the way a demon thinks were vastly different from how a human would think.
Demons were an inherently evil and wicked race. They were a race known for chaos, bloodshed, and death.
Simon had dealt with demons for over six decades, so he knew how dangerous demons were.
They could not be good. Good was not in their nature. Evil and chaos were all they knew.
A demon might be all smiles, charming, and friendly, but at some point, that same demon could become a bloodthirsty creature that would slaughter hundreds and thousands without remorse.
It had happened in his past life when one of his companions trusted a demon. At the end of the day, the demon ended up killing his companion and countless other humans without remorse.
Because Lyssa was his mother, he had not put his guard up against her. He had trusted her and believed that she wouldn’t harm him, that she wanted the best for him.
But it turned out that demons had no true love even for their children or those connected to them by blood.
Humans were evil, but demons were truly evil.
It was because of everything he had experienced in the past that he never made friends with any demon child in the tribe despite their insistence on wanting to be friends with him.
Despite so many decades, he could vividly recall the scene of a demon killing and devouring his parents, siblings, and girlfriend when he was much younger.
It was why he hated demons so much and was the reason he started on his demon slaying journey.
He thought he had been playing it safe and was cautious, but his mother had proven him wrong.
Humans were evil, but demons were truly evil.
His companions of over sixty decades betrayed him for reasons unknown to him, and his demon mother betrayed him for a middling sum of money.
He could not even begin to comprehend which was worse.
But what he knew was that never again... Never again would he be stabbed in the back like this.
Whether it was a human or a demon, he would never fully trust anybody.